Volkswagen plans to build the first two of its new all-electric vehicles in the United States, the company’s North American chief told Autocar. The cars are I.D. CROZZ and I.D. BUZZ.
The I.D CROZZ is roughly the same size as a 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan compact crossover. It combines an 83-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a pair of electric motors, one on each axle. The front motor generates 101 horsepower and the rear 201 hp, for a combined system output of 302 hp. This concept vehicle will offer an anticipated range of up to 300 miles. The car is expected to launch in 2020.
The other vehicle, I.D. BUZZ, is a modern electric version of Volkswagen’s most iconic vehicle- the 1960s Microbus. The Buzz concept has a range of 270 miles on electricity and 162.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the back seats down. It will launch as a part of the 2022 year lineup.
“The I.D. CROZZ and the I.D. BUZZ will help Volkswagen kick off an EV revolution in the United States. All of our I.D. concept cars demonstrate the inherent flexibility, driving range and smart design that can serve the needs of the 21st-century drivers,” said Hinrich J. Woebcken, President, and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “It’s not possible to come into a high-volume scenario with imported cars. We want to localize electric mobility in the U.S.”
However, a VW spokesperson didn’t confirm that and stated: “We want to build MEB cars locally, but we have not confirmed which cars, nor the location.” It can mean that VW still is looking for all possible options.
The Volkswagen Group has a serious plan regarding entering the electric car market. It plans to invest $85 billion in developing new electric vehicles by 2022. It expects to have 300 group models by 2030.
[Via Autoblog]
